Creative Commons License
Plaque of a Man
(South Arabia)
This unique plaque depicts a man dressed in a thigh-length costume and shoes. He wears headgear used by hunters and traders. A serpent is coiled in front of his face, and a bird, perhaps an eagle, with outspread wings emerges from behind his shoulders. Serpents and eagles in South Arabian art are associated with the sun and moon. On top of the plaque, a female figure wearing a long, sheath-like dress is oriented horizontally and may represent a worshiper. Text beside the man contains the given name Heshfer or Heshqer of the Serben clan.
Inscription
Provenance
Provenance (from the French provenir, 'to come from/forth') is the chronology of the ownership, custody, or location of a historical object. Learn more about provenance at the Walters.
Portobello Road Market, London; Giraud and Carolyn Foster, Baltimore, between 1963 and 1964, by purchase; Walters Art Museum, 2007, by gift.
Exhibitions
| 2008 | Faces of Ancient Arabia: The Giraud and Carolyn Foster Collection of South Arabian Art. The Walters Art Museum, Baltimore. |
Geographies
Arabian Peninsula (Place of Origin)
Measurements
H: 7 x W: 3 15/16 x D: 3/16 in. (17.8 x 10 x 0.5 cm)
Credit Line
Gift of Giraud and Carolyn Foster, 2007
Location in Museum
Not on view
Accession Number
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
2007.17.35